Whippany, New Jersey

Whippany (/hwɪpəni/ WHIP-ə-nee) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)^[5] in Hanover Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States.^[6] As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 8,863.^[2]

Whippany, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Whippany's Central Park
Whippany Location in Morris County Show map of Morris County, New Jersey Whippany Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Whippany Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°49′28″N 74°25′02″W
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Morris
Township	Hanover
Area [1]
• Total	5.74 sq mi (14.9 km2)
• Land	5.61 sq mi (14.5 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	233 ft (71 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	8,863
• Density	1,580.1/sq mi (610.1/km2)
ZIP Code	07981
FIPS code	34-80540[3]
GNIS feature ID	0881770[4]

Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area. Whippanong meant "place of the willows", named for the trees growing along the banks of the Whippany River.^[7]

History

The Whippany River as seen from the Frelinghuysen Arboretum

The Whippany River is an important part of the Munsee, colonial, and industrial history of the town.^[8]

Munsee Lenape

Circa 1000 CE, the area, along with most of northern New Jersey, was inhabited by the Munsee Lenape people. Circa 1500, all of New Jersey was part of the Lenapehoking,^[9] the homelands of the Lenape.

The Munsee harvested mussels from the Whippany River. Arrowheads found in Munsee encampments throughout the nearby Washington Valley suggest that they hunted wolf, elk, and wild turkey for game.^[8]

Colonial settlement

The earliest European settlers to live along the Whippany River can be traced back to 1685. The river was an integral part of life in the area; it provided water power for the various mills which developed in the town.^[10]

Modern history

The Seeing Eye, the first guide dog school for the blind in the United States, was located in Whippany between 1931 and 1966, before moving to its current campus in nearby Morris Township.^[11]

Geography

Whippany is in eastern Morris County and occupies most of the eastern part of Hanover Township. It is bordered to the west, across Interstate 287, by Cedar Knolls, also in Hanover Township. Whippany is bordered to the north by Parsippany–Troy Hills Township, to the east by East Hanover Township, to the south by the Black Meadows Preserve and Morristown Municipal Airport, and to the southwest by Morris Township, Morris Township. Morristown, the county seat, is 5 miles (8 km) to the southwest.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Whippany CDP has a total area of 5.74 square miles (14.87 km²), of which 5.61 square miles (14.53 km²) are land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km²), or 2.21%, are water.^[1] The Whippany River flows through the center of town, leading northeast to join the Passaic River near Pine Brook. The river is protected by the Whippany River Watershed Action Committee.

Demographics

Whippany first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. Census.^[12]

Education

Public schools in the area include Bee Meadow School, Mountview Road School, Salem Drive School, Memorial Junior School and Whippany Park High School.

Arrow Academy is a Christian school for grades PreK-8.

The Morris County Library is in Whippany.^[13]

Sports

The New York Red Bulls U23, a development team for the New York Red Bulls, play at the team's 15-acre (6.1 ha) development facility in the township.^[14]

Notable organizations

• J. E. Ashworth & Sons operated a woolen blanket mill in Whippany.^[15]
• Barclays relocated part of their Manhattan operations to Whippany in 2018.^[16]
• The Whippany Railway Museum is located in the central part of the community.
• Bayer HealthCare
• Communication Techniques, Inc. (CTI),^[17] a wholly owned subsidiarity of Herley Industries^[18]
• The New Jersey Jewish News, a weekly newspaper published by United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey
• CAE Inc. provides flight simulation and crew training services to the Business Aviation community.
• The Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey is in Whippany.
• Physicians' Desk Reference

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Whippany include:

• Adlan Amagov (born 1986), Strikeforce fighter^[19]
• Sal Canzonieri, guitarist and founding member of the band Electric Frankenstein^[20]
• Damon Daunno (born 1984), actor who starred in the 2019 Broadway revival of Oklahoma!^[21]
• Dan Frischman (born 1959), character actor, noted for his many roles as "geek" or "nerd" characters^[22]
• Dan Miller (born 1981), UFC fighter^[23]
• Brian Saxton (born 1972), tight end who played for the New York Giants^[24]
• Linda Tripp (1949-2020), former U.S. civil servant who figured in the Monica Lewinsky scandal involving former U.S. President Bill Clinton^[25]